“A Brilliant Solution: Inventing the American Constitution” by Carol Berkin

In the admit A Brilliant Solution Inventing the American Constitution by chirrup Berkin she explains the typography from start to finish from how it all began, to the debates inside the radiation diagram and in conclusion the end product. Berkin takes the reader and perplexs him directly in the middle of the convention of 1786 passim the book you can feel the excite workforcet, the frustration, the tensions in the midst of delegates and the all overall commitment to fashioning a newborn governance work for all.The time for a new establishment came about in times of fright, some men such(prenominal) as William Livingston wondered if the republic could eve survive another decade for total heat Knox made an excellent point in declaring Our present federal government is a name, a shadow, without power, or effect. Meantime the relationship between the states was poor and there was an unforegone conclusion if they would even keep united what with the debts, the frugal t urmoil, and the slow realization that without England they had no defendion from the outside world.The question on everyones mind was, is there anything that can be done to bear their country? 55 delegates gathered in hopes of answering this question with a brilliant solution of their own. The Delegates that gathered in Philadelphia were among the most respected men of their time. They ranged from lawyers to politicians, from the aged Benjamin Franklin to the young Jonathon Dayton, and youd find that all of these men were of blue blood wealth or the few who as Berkin put were the minority that Had risen from obscurity to wealth by virtue of middling about combination of talent, luck, and well-made marriages. Nobody present would ever be considered just a common man, and for some such as Thomas Jefferson, they would happen these men as Demi-gods instead of the regular, flawed, yet brilliant men that they were. It was during this convention that the Virginia Plan was proposed by Edmund Randolph, which was the proposal to write a new constitution instead of revising the Articles of Confederation like intended.After umteen debates between the larger and smaller states on being fairly represented and even more adjustments and altering towards the plan itself, the convention created the Senate which was a body of quick of scent men that was made up of two men rom severally state. This worked out to satisfaction of the smaller states and for the larger states they were given a stand of Representatives that would consist of a larger body of representatives for each state in proportion to the amount of the muckle in that state. During the Convention there were many controversies between these men, some were focused on not wanting to bowl over their constituents back in their home states, and the smaller states were constantly trying to protect themselves from the influence of the larger states, while the southern states feared that a national government woul d upset the slave trade.However, many of the delegates shared a bigger fear throughout the convention, which was putting too much power into a exchange government and the fear that the senate and star sign of Representatives would have too much power. George Mason, an bell ringer advocate of a strong central government withdrew his support and refused to sign the finished Constitution, claiming that the new government would produce a monarchy, or a corrupt, tyrannical aristocracy so for the sake of trying to find a balance, the theme of giving the chief executive the power of veto over legislation was proposed.Along with this power a check was needed, so the idea that a three quarters vote from congress could over line up a professorships veto was adopted. How to elect a President was the cause for some of the longest and grueling debates in the convention, the question of who to corporate trust too choose the president was heavy on all their minds. The delegates knew that it couldnt be left to the legislative power to choose and Gouverneur Morris even declared it would be like the election of a pope by a conclave of cardinals.To leave the choice to the people alone left the certainty that the people would be led and lied to by a few active and designing men as Charles Pinckney put it. Lost and unconnected on what to do, the convention turned the matter over to the Committee of Postponed Matters where after weeks of debate of their own, they came up with something that we know today as the Electoral College. The States were satisfactory to elect an amount of electors equal to the number of representatives in the house and senate.These electors were to undertake in their respective states and vote by ballot for two people to represent their state. From here their votes would be delivered signed, certified and in a crocked envelope, to Congress, where the results were to be counted in front of congressmen and senators. In the event of a tie, members of the House of Representatives would select which would be the president. It was through this process that our first President, who set the power for all presidents to come, was elected.Even when the Constitution had been drawn up and was ready for check by the states, which wouldnt happen for another year after many political battles between Federalists and Anti-Federalists, the Delegates realized that though this document would suffice for now, they couldnt escape the indefinite future, so they included in the constitution a capacity for change which was designed so that later down the itinerary when times had changed and change was needed, it could be incorporated into the constitution as amendments.In closing, Carol Berkin did an excellent job of portraying the struggles and concerns that went on in that Philadelphia license Hall, the framers fought through frustration, pressure, and with each other. They knew what had to be done, and though some did not remain throughout th e convention, we owe our law of the land to the determination of these 55 men.